The Heroism of Achilles in the Iliad

Achilles is some who gained glory and potential in respecting fighting. ILiad isn’t something that can give out an amount of things in some facts and some places that a person are able to protagonists by its own behaviors and values. Achilles is someone who values the behaviors and values loyalty, plus honor. It can be able to be motivated with some situations throughout life in the story. Achilles is someone who suffers from some scrutiny for his role in Homer's the ILiad. Achilles is one of the best warriors from the Greeks. He ends up having a battle on the battlefield and is well known for that. Achilles shows a passion for strength and courage for his enemies to fear of him even if it’s just his presence around or not.

He is shown throughout the book as a hero in many situations. His battles caused some effects on the Greek cultures. Achilles ends up being a very complicated person in the story, there was many complications. The values he had and what caused everything is what I’m going to explain through my paper to be able to prove on how he is a hero. The dramatic complications in the story and the issues caused around him because of him will be discussed. However, this paper will mostly focus on the characteristics of Achilles. This paper will also have a part of representing cruelty, behavior, actions, inspired hero, humane, beast and savagery. In the story of Achilles is a character who has a reflection of a paradigm of a hero, that is deeply involved with honor. With his actions taking place Achilles lies till the end to honor his honor his way, to be able to be looked at as something great and to have a meaningful reputation.

The honor for the Mycenaean man isn’t the only achievement that had happened in the battlefield, but it made things better in the battlefield. The nobility of a savage, politeness and respect for others such as associates and family is also important for the Mycenaeans. Achilles ends up having these qualities in his occasions throughout the story. Achilles shows respect to the gods and other people. He shows it by taking or obeying the orders that’s A 215-218 given to the contrary for his own personal wall. It says in this part of the story, which means that Athena prevents Achilles not to kill Agamemnoe. In another quote [1], 139-141, this quote says that he basically agrees and accepts to stop the desecration that Hector body after the exhorting of the goddesses Thetis. Eventually further on Achilles shows his love and dedication throughout the story in a strong way. In [1], A 149- 171and in [1], I 309, Achilles talks about his feelings and expresses his opinions about everything that was going on for his survival.

Later on Achilles ends up saying “Still, we will let all this be a thing of the past, though it hurts us, and beat down by constraint the anger that rises inside us. Now I am making an end of my anger. It does not become me unrelentingly to rage on “ (19.65-68). These words prove that Achilles became the bigger person and ended the issues between him and Agamemnon, he had made some peace. I think he forgave Agamemnon only because he didn’t have time for the fighting and threats. Achilles had also came as a bigger person and hero later on through the story. He had faced many situations that brought him as a better hero.

A hero had some withdraws with a battle or just left it in others hands. He accepts reparations but ends up saving the day. The “hero” is Achilles. Athena has some assumptions that “There will be a day when three times these splendid gifts will be laid before you because of this insult” (1.12-14). Someone also says that heroes are supposed to behave and respect. Another part started in the story is “This is what we have heard in the tales of past heroes too, when furious anger came on one of them- they could be won by gifts and words’ persuasions (9.524-6). Achilles wasn’t like any heroes in the past, he was very different, very ordinary. Achilles didn’t just take the gifts and continue fighting. He had rejected the offers and decided to just go home and not fight. His decision in this case had changed the structure of him and the poem itself. Achilles is like a big good beast, it’s states in the book that, 'Like some lion going his own barbaric way, giving in to his power, his brute force and wild pride...' (28.48-50). This means that Achilles was something like an animal who goes by his own way, he wasn’t like other heroes. He was a very different one. He had his own ways into handling things, his power involved into his pride which made him stubborn but than into a better hero.

Nevertheless, later on in the book it gets more critical than usual. In the book Achilles exhibits a Vindictive behavior that contradicts a trait of him being a hero. Him being a hero shows as well by desecrating dead Hector. Throughout the book things look like everything changed when Priam the father of dead hector ends up coming to Achilles. He comes to Achilles with gifts for an exchange for his dead son Hector corpse. Achilles eventually accepts Hector's dad offer and Welcomes Hector's dad, Achilles had to soften his anger to be able to do this. This shows a different side of Achilles that is defined as Humanity. Achilles had grew into a bigger person which is rare.

Achilles has an amazing opportunity to recover some of the heroic virtues. When he gave the corpse of Hector to Priam, Achilles had showed some respect and nobility to Hector father, basically to a elderly man which was a leader. That shows how Achilles is a real hero because he did not act childish or bitter when the father came to him. Nevertheless, by having the leader, well the foreign king come and entreat him with gifts for an exchange, Achilles had felt to have respect for others in different pair of shoes. Achilles wasn’t stubborn, he was being a hero for being a bigger man and taking Priam acceptance. This presents Achilles acceptance of understanding and this essentially is another role that Achilles had in another book. It shows him being a very well preeminent social leader.

Therefore throughout the story Achilles and Agamemnon had some issues and was at a point of coming at each other's heads. They wanted to kill each other, Achilles ends up using his sword towards Agamemnon. They had some verbal abuse taking place and it continued for sometime. Later on Agamemnon had got tired and upset, he ended up trying to have Briseis taken away from Achilles. Achilles lets Briseis be taken away by two of Agamemnon messengers. Achilles is devastated that Briseis goes away but he had to just let her go for his sake. Way before the girl is taken away by the two messengers, Achilles states in the story that “ But let them both bear witness to my loss… in the face of blissful gods and mortal men, in the face of that unbending, ruthless king-if that day should come when the armies need me to save their ranks from ignominious, stark defeat” (338-67). This indicates that the change of Achilles mind. Achilles was making a big sacrifice, he had made a decision to settle the problem so Apollo can stop killing the Achaean army. When Achilles had to decide on what to do he had also became better as a man. When Briseis had left, Achilles was very hurt and goes to his mother for prayers. Achilles stays mourning for his honor and mourning because of Briseis. Throughout this part of the story it shows Achilles accepting some facts in his life and tryna change as a person for himself more which is good, because to be a hero you have to change and make sure you are doing better than any other issue heading your way.

Achilles is a very important character in The Iliad because he becomes a hero. Achilles remains faithful throughout the story, he is mainly known for his pride and some inner rage in him. He also helps obtain the wishes every family would want for there child. Achilles is a supernatural warrior because of what he does for himself and others in the book. He is one of the greatest warriors in the war of all times. Achilles is a hero that is honor and rewarded by the gods, he ended up in a position above the rest of the gods. He ended up being a hero of the Trogan’s war because of his actions. In the book achilles goes through many complicated issues, which mostly cause his character immensely changing.

Throughout all the quotes that was provided through this essay, people are able to notice that he was a hero in a dramatic and medieval way. He wasn’t like many heroes like the past, he had his ownership into how to save his time. His survival in his life was very ordinary, one day he’ll fight and kill than another he’ll back off the battlefield but then come in the end to try saving the day. He had to be in the battlefield to be able to stand up for how he feels and what he wants as a god, he had to look up to the other gods and provide something they all was missing from being a hero and what was missing was courage and a unique strength Achilles had. Achilles was very ruthless but was also able to put his energy into the right path and control his inside emotions and leave the complicated path, then begin a start into a more less ruthless path.